10 Characters Who Can Beat Superman

10 Characters Who Can Beat Superman
Updated:
16 Nov 2023

Superman can be killed

Superman is one of the most powerful characters ever created. He has an endless amount of powers and abilities, but he wasn’t always like that. When Superman was first created he only had super strength, the ability to jump over buildings, and run as fast as a train due to the strength of his legs. Now he has super-duper strength, freeze breath, heat vision, super speed, super hearing, super sight, flight, and the list goes on. I’ll be discussing 10 characters I believe can beat or kill the all-powerful Superman in a fight.

10. Batman

Batman versus Superman

Batman doesn’t have any powers, but he is incredibly intelligent.  In the Justice League movie “Doom”, it’s revealed that Batman has emergency weapons in case the members ever go rogue. He has a piece of Kryptonite that makes superman powerless, which was gifted to him by Superman. Batman is ready and willing to kill Superman in order to save the world, even without the kryptonite, Batman would have obtained it in some way or came up with another plan to weaken him.  It also helps that he’s filthy rich, mind and money can create wonderful things.

9. Martian Manhunter

Superman fighting Manhunter

Martian Manhunter is from Mars, he is the last surviving member of his species and found refuge on Earth.

Manhunter is not only incredibly strong, but can shapeshift into anything imaginable. His strength and speed are on par with Superman’s and he has telekinesis which can aid in Superman demise by destroying his brain. The only downside is Manhunter has a weakness to fire, which Superman can easily exploit just like his own weakness Kryptonite. 

By matching Superman in strength and speed all he’d have to do is use his telekinetic abilities to destroy Superman’s brain and kill him or beat him to death. Superman himself said “He is the most powerful being on the planet”.  If one of the strongest heroes says that about you then you are someone to be feared.

8. Shazam

Shazam powering up his punch

One day a child named Billy Batson met a wizard named Shazam. The wizard deemed Billy worthy and chose him as the protector of good, Billy would only need to say the wizards name “Shazam” and he’d transform into an adult superhero with the strength and powers of the gods Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

Shazam, or Captain Marvel, is very powerful, it also helps that he’s a somewhat magical being. Magic is Superman’s second weakness.  Shazam is very even with Superman on strength of powers, in fact he was allegedly an inspired character of Superman, which DC sued for copyright infringement and later gained ownership of the character.

The main weakness of Shazam is that he’s a child who turns into this powerful being; unfortunately his mind stays the same so he’s incredibly immature.

You can watch a battle between the two:

7. The Flash

Flash in Justice League: War

One faithful night, a forensic scientist named Barry Allen was working late in the lab and a lightning bolt burst through the window and hits the chemicals, spilling them all over him. He quickly discovered his powers of speed when everything around him started to slow down.

The Flash has a very simple power, Speed. He can unload a multitude of attacks on Superman before he can even react. Speed isn’t where his abilities end, he can use his power to go through time and physical objects. In the words of Muhammed Ali “You can’t hit what you can’t see”.

Superman would have a difficult time with The Flash, unable to match his speed he’d have to go crazy trying to hit him. Flash is somewhat of a wildcard though, he doesn’t have the strength to defeat superman so he’d need to heavily rely on not getting hit and possibly vibrating his hands so fast that he penetrates Superman’s heart.

6. Captain Atom

Captain Atom fighting Superman

Captain Atom, real name Nathaniel Adam, was sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. In order to escape execution, he signed up for a government experiment which gave him a low chance of survival, but if he did survive would be pardoned. He was put in an alien ship that was blown up with a nuclear bomb. The explosion caused the alien metals to fuse with his skin and gave him nuclear powers such as control of radiation.

Captain Atom has fought Superman in the past, although he didn’t beat him he could have.  

Watch one of the fights here:

Just as he says, he can manipulate radiation; Superman obtains his strength from the Sun’s red radiation. Captain Atom can absorb that energy resulting in a powerless Superman for an easy picking. Of course because they’re teammates and friends he’d never do anything to harm Superman, but remove that from the equation and Superman would be in very big trouble.

5. Lex Luthor

Superman fighting Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is from Smallville and he is Superman’s arch nemesis. He views Superman as a threat to his own projects and as threat to humanity due to his incredible power. Luthor constantly tries to defeat Superman and has pretty much made it one of his life goals. Luthor doesn’t have any powers, unless you’d like to count his superior intellect as one. He’s aware of Superman’s weakness to kryptonite and has used it many times in the past. He also has the money to create weapons that can destroy superman with Kryptonite, much like Batman.

Only question is why hasn’t Luthor destroyed Superman since it’s his goal? Well that would be too easy for Lex, much like Batman and the Joker, Superman and Luthor need each other. Luthor needs to be challenged, without Superman there would be no one else to match him.

4. Doomsday

Doomsday during battle

Doomsday is one of Superman’s fiercest enemies. Doomsday is a very powerful being that matches, possibly even exceeds Superman’s strength and speed. Doomsday is a Krypton creation that was made to become the ultimate killer. It has the ability to come back from death, stronger and immune to whatever killed it before, making it a very horrifying monster.  Superman would have to use his full power just to battle with the beast.

You can watch one of their fights here:

3. Green Lantern

Green Lantern using his ring

Green Lantern, Specifically Hal Jordan because he is one of the most powerful Green Lanterns to ever live, can match Superman in strength. He might not be able to beat Superman, but that doesn’t mean he’ll lose. With the power of his ring he can easily go toe to toe with Superman all day long. The ring gives the wearer unimaginable power and ability. The ring’s power is based off the willpower and skill of the individual, the stronger the person the stronger the power.  Because Hal Jordan is the strongest, it’s possible he can even emit Kryptonite like radiation and immobilize Superman, defeating him

2. Thor

Thor unleashing his thunderous power

Thor is the god of thunder and the greatest warrior of his homeland Asgard. Mjolnir, a hammer, was created by the king of Asgard Odin, who’s also his father. When Thor became worthy of its power, Odin gifted Mjolnir to Thor, which gave him powerful magical powers. 

Thor’s powers have magical aspects along with his incredible strength, which would cause Superman to be in a lot of trouble due to his weakness to magic.  With the power of his hammer Mjölnir, Thor can put up a match with Superman. They have fought in a Marvel vs DC comic, Superman won, but both agreed it could have gone either way making Thor another character that is equal to Superman. 

1. Dr. Strange

Dr.Strange casting a spell

Stephen Strange was an extremely skilled surgeon, until a horrific car accident occurred and damaged the nerves in his hands.  Willing to risk anything to cure his injury, he went out in search of the Ancient One in Tibet. The Ancient One refused to cure Dr. Strange’s hands and instead took him as a disciple, making him the new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. 

Dr. Strange is one of the greatest magicians ever created. He is a character who can easily beat Superman due to the fact that his abilities are pure magic, which is one of Superman’s greatest weaknesses.  Superman would not fare well against Dr. Strange and could easily be killed with simple spells like energy blasts or electricity much like Shazams. However, Dr. Strange does require concentration and he is human compared to Superman who can think and react at 10x the rate. Depending on who gets the drop on the other first, it could go either way.

Although some are evenly matched with superman, only a few can actually kill him. It’s difficult to create a list of characters that can easily defeat someone who’s so indestructible and has a wide range of powers. In fact Superman rarely fights at 100%, he holds back to prevent from killing his opponent. If Superman unleashed his full power he’d be very scary and almost invincible. This clip is an example of what it could be like:

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The Pirate HouseLocated in Savannah and dating back to 1753, this is considered to be one of the city’s oldest structures. The original plan for the plot was to build a Botanical garden, however a tavern and inn were constructed to cater to the sailors an traders travelling from abroad. There was a tunnel in the basement that leads to the sea and it was believed that many sailors and seafaring men would get others drunk and kidnap them to sea through this tunnel. It is possible that many sailors would have died from alcohol intoxication at the inn and also from the violence that followed the many sailors visiting. The upstairs is considered to be the main area where many apparitions and manifestations have been witnessed. Sounds of laughter and the apparition of a bearded man have been witnessed on the second floor.  Coffee pots thrown across the room, and fleeting figures moving across the room. 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After multiple attempts at trying call wake the Moore family, Ross Moore, Josiah’s brother arrived and opened the door with his keys. On entering, he found the family including the Stilinger sisters bludgeoned to death by an axe. In 1994, Darwin and Martha Linn renovated the house to closely resemble the home as it were in before the murders and opened the house to visitors who can stay overnight. There have been numerous reports of children laughing, talking.  Audios have been recorded, of children’s voices and strange noises when no one else was present in the house. Objects have been seen to move and psychics have claimed to have communicated with the spirits that still linger about the house, perhaps still looking for justice.03. Ann Starrett MansionLocated in Port Townend, Washington, this sprawling mansion was built in 1899 by George Starrett as a gift to his wife Ann, whom he loved and adored very dearly. The interior décor of the house truly shows the love he had for his wife. The mansion was truly a masterpiece of its time. George and Ann had one child Edward and they hired a nanny who looked after him. The lived a happy life in the mansion and is now converted into a bed and breakfast. There are however numerous accounts of paranormal activity in the house, of both male and female entities, thought to be Ann and George. They say that even death could not separate them; such was the depth of their love. The entities and apparitions felt and experience d by many are mostly welcoming and warm. The female entity considered to be Ann can be seen floating between rooms or admitting the solar calendar. There is also a male entity but is very peaceful and mellow and considered mostly to be with entity of Ann. However, there has been one more female entity that is seen to interact with guests and staff and is the most common apparition experienced in the house. She can be seen flipping the bible, turning the light on and off and clank glasses to make her presence felt. A word of caution, the entity is known to get upset if any negative remarks are passed on the services of the house or if any criticism or remarks are passed on the family, such as slamming pictures or visitors have felt a bump on their head or a bang in the furniture.02. 208 Meriden Avenue “The Haunting in Connecticut” houseThe Snedeker family moved into the house as the rent was cheap and it was close to the hospital where their son would go for treatment (he was apparently being treated for cancer). The home was a former funeral home where the morticians committed necromancy and necrophilia. There were numerous occasions of hauntings and apparitions experienced by member of the Snedeker family. After moving in, Carmen Reed was warned by her son that they ought to move out because the house was evil, but reed paid no attention to the warning. Reed also speaks of a force experienced by those living at home, like being slapped, groped and threatened. Reed’s son started seeing a figure with long dark hair that would stand and watch over him, threaten him and scare him by calling out his name. Reed also claims that because of this and the voices her son could hear, the doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia, but all that stopped when she sent him away to live with relatives. Reed also claims that her niece would be groped and she could once see a hand moving in her shirt and feeling her back. That was when it dawned upon Reed that ther was some supernatural force that was haunting their home. One researcher of paranormal activity claims that a spirit descended the stairs and said to him “Do you know what they did to us?”. Two priests called upon to perform an exorcism on the house were too scared and left, a third performed an exorcism that took three hours to rid the home of the spirits.01.   112 Ocean Avenue ”The Amityville Horror” homeRonald, Sr. and Louise DeFeo lived with their five children at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. The family were wealthy and well-mannered, however their eldest son, Ron, known around town as a troublemaker. An admitted drug user, a petty criminal and a heavy drinker and was often in trouble with the law. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot and killed six members of his family. In November of 1975, he convicted of Second-degree murder and was sentenced to six consecutive 25-year prison terms. In late December of 1975, just barely one year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz bought the house for a sum of $80,000. Much of the DeFeo family's furniture was still in the house, because it was included for $400 as part of the deal. A friend of George insisted on having the house blessed, due to its recent history. Father Pecararo the vice-officials of the diocesan office performed the blessing. During the blessing, Father Pecararo mentioned that one particular room "bothered" him so he recommended that the family not use this particular room as a bedroom. The strange occurrences start soon after. Their dog Harry, tried to jump a fence and almost hug itself till it was rescued just in time.  Strong putrid odors emanated throughout the home, green slime oozed through the walls and the toilets turned black. Large swarms of houseflies continued to pile up in the sewing room. Household appliances turned themselves on and off randomly and doors would strangely slam shut. The entire family noticed severe mood swings and personality changes amongst themselves. George found himself continually awakening at 3:15 in the morning with an uncontrollable urge to check the boathouse. The Lutz' were persuaded to recite The Lord's Prayer while walking throughout the house, and one particular recitation, a mysterious voice shouted, "will you please stop!". Shadows moved around the house and they would see eyes peering in at them from other rooms. On one occasion George noticed the temperature fluctuating rapidly and when he decided to leave, while running down the stairs, there was apparition standing there, staring and pointing a finger at him. George and Kathy Lutz, with their three children and their dog Harry, left 112 Ocean Avenue, leaving all of their possessions behind.The list here provides us a glimpse of the supernatural and lets just hope it restricts itself to those places. Remember, in life, if one door opens and another one closes, call the priest because your house is probably haunted.
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